


Purple

by Chippani



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Author is dumb and tired, Colleen plays a minor role, Finally reaching s1, Galra Keith (Voltron), Gay Keith (Voltron), Gen, How Do I Tag, I'm Sorry, James Griffin (Voltron) Being an Asshole, Keith (Voltron) Has ADHD, Keith's father is named Akira, Matt Holt is a giant nerd, On Hiatus, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, thank you for your patience
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:53:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23557891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chippani/pseuds/Chippani
Summary: Purple was Keiths color. Not because he chose it, but because he was purple. More specifically, his hair, eyes and freckles were all purple. Even his nails had a purple tint to them.His father did his best to make that seem normal, but Keith always knew it was weird.Basically I wanted to write out some things for this au and thought I could sort of make it just a collection of changed scenes.
Relationships: Adam & Matt Holt & Shiro, Adam & Shiro (Voltron), Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Allura & Coran & Hunk & Keith & Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt & Shiro, Colleen Holt & Keith's Father, Hunk & Keith & Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt & Shiro, Keith & Keith's Father (Voltron), Keith & Shiro (Voltron), Matt Holt & Keith
Comments: 36
Kudos: 132





	1. How to pass as normal

**Author's Note:**

> I have no self control.
> 
> I'm adding tags as I write. Hush.  
> Also, his adhd might not be entirely accurate? I'm trying to make it as accurate as I can but besides a few personal posts on tumblr and articles about outward signs, I don't have much.
> 
> Well, I might have my own experience, but I've never been diagnosed and don't remember much of my childhood.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The part of Keith's life with his dad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to call his dad Akira because  
> I don't know.
> 
> And Colleen and Matt are only there for a tiny bit at the beginning.

Krolia thought Keith looked human enough. She figured no one would think twice about the purple dots on his cheeks, or how the tips of his ears were pointed or even that his hair was a similar color to her own. She thought it would be better for her to leav him on earth.

But Akira knew the truth. Their son would never have a normal life. At best he'd be teased for it. At worst...

So he started trying to hide it. Because of his job, he had to leave Keith in someone else's care and that didn't leave many options. So he confided in the one person in the universe he could trust.

Coleen Holt.

* * *

"Wow... His hair really is purple." Akira rolled his eyes and glanced at Matt, who'd taken to sitting on the floor and playing with Keith's stuffed hippo. "And his freckles? You really weren't kidding about his mom being an ali-"

She cut herself off and glanced at Matt for a moment. "Anyway, uh... Yeah. I can help out for a while. But you know you'll owe me for this."

"I can pay you. I just... I can't just leave him with some rando. I mean- look at-" Keith whined softly. They both glanced at him for a moment as his eyes started wandering around, looking for his mother. He was looking more and more upset by the second.

Akira couldn't take it and lifted him from the crib. "She ain't here, son..."

Colleen's eyes softened. Keith barely glanced at her before starting to cry. Akira tried to calm him down, but nothing was working. A single tear rolled out of the boy's eye before Colleen took him. Even having more experience, she only fared slightly better. She got him to stop crying, but he still looked upset. 

"Don't worry about payment. You need all the help you can get." She assured him.

* * *

It took a few years before Akira really had things figured out. He managed to find temporary solutions to each problem that came up. Except for one.

Keith had sharp fangs, and he couldn't do anything for that. He could only hope that no one would notice, but...

He could tell the moment Keith had begun to see the cruelty of others. It started small with his laugh becoming infrequent. Then he didn't want to eat around anyone. It worried Akira so much.

One day, while he was putting the dye in Keith's hair, the boy finally spoke up.

"Dad? Why am I so weird?" His heart had all but stopped at that.

"What do you mean?"

"You have to make my hair black, and I have to wear that stuff on my face... And my nails have to be clipped and filed a lot... And..." Keith trailed off.

"What brought this on?"

The boy looked near tears as his father knelt on the ground before him. But he wouldn't cry. He couldn't. His tears were thicker than normal people's, which also meant he didn't have to blink as often. "It's nothing..."

It took a lot of coaxing before Keith finally opened up about what was going on. Some kids had started making fun of him for his fangs. It broke Akira's heart, but there wasn't anything he could do.

"Our world ain't perfect. Keith, kids are gonna be mean, but don't you worry about what they think. The only reason I do all this is because I want you to lead a normal life. As normal as you can... But what really matters is how you feel."

The boy seemed to get that. Still, his smile never was as wide as it used to be.

* * *

The biggest change in Keith's life came when he was in 4th grade. It had all started out so normal that it could have passed for any other day. But it wasn't any other day.

The rain was pouring as his small group ate lunch together. How he'd managed to make even these friends was a mystery to him. He pondered it as he ate his bologna and cheese, mostly tuned out of the conversation. Billy was his friend because he thought his fangs were cool, and Isaac came with him. Then there was Robin, who liked his eyes and their friend Paul.

"Come on, Robbie!" Paul shouted, grabbing his attention. "There must be someone you like!"

"Not really. Not like that." Robin shrugged. They took another bite of their bagel. It was such a plaun bagel too, with plain cream cheese on it. But that was Robin. Simple and plain. Keith liked having them around.

Paul huffed and turned his dark eyes to Keith. "Okay, what about you?"

"What?" He'd tuned them all out so bad he didn't even know what was going on. He could barely process that he was being spoken to. Paul rolled his eyes. This wasn't the first time this had happened and it wouldn't be the last.

"We're talking about who we have crushes on." Isaac jumped in. "I said Mary and Billy said Nadia."

Keith blinked. A crush? Sure he had a crush, but he was so nervous to say anything. He bit his lip and kicked his legs for a moment. "Well, I think Nathan is kind of...nice."

"Yeah, but we want to know who you have a crush on."

He didn't understand. "I just told you?" He raised a brow and glanced around the group. Robin looked disinterested, picking apart their fruit salad so they wouldn't have to eat the cherries or peaches. The others looked confused. But Keith had moved on before they could question him. "Why do you pick oit the cherries and peaches?"

"No, Keith. We mean what girl do you think is cute!" Billy tried, but it was too late. He wanted to know about the fruit.

"They're gross and mushy."

"Is that why you never eat your fries either? Because they're gross and mushy? Maybe you just need to ask for crispy fries instead."

The others were trying desperately to get his attention when a teacher walked over. The group fell quiet as her eyes scanned them each. "Keith, you're wanted in the office."

The words had barely left her mouth when Keith hopped out of his chair and grabbed his tray, carrying it to the trashcan and tossing what was left of his lunch. Then he started to head out before she stopped him again. "No no, Keith. I need to take you to your class to get your things first."

"Am I going home?"

"No... But you won't be coming back..." She had such a pained expression on her face. He didn't understand why. 

She took him to get his things, then walked him to the office. He waved to her as he went in. There was someone in a nice suit taling to the principal, then to him, but he wasn't listening. He was looking at their tie. It was a nice tie.

"Keith?"

"Huh?" They'd asked him something. He knew they had, but he couldn't remember what. They didn't seem upset like the teachers did when he was like that though.

"Did you hear any of that?" He shook his head. "Keith... I was telling you about your father..."

There was that look again. "Why?"

"Well, he... There was an accident." He didn't understand. He didn't want to. "Keith, your father died."

It didn't feel real. He didn't want it to be real. He wanted to go back to his friends and talk about crushes and fries and how the rain made the ground all squishy and weird. He wanted his dad to show up and take him out of that office and back to their house.

He didn't register the stranger kneeling before him, apologizing. He definitely didn't register when they asked if there was make up on his cheeks. He was miles away, sitting at the kitchen table eating dinner with his dad and talking about whatever came to mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> His dad got vibe checked
> 
> I'm not sorry.


	2. Surviving the system

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More backstory stuff. Mostly people trying to figure out why the fuck this kid has purple freckles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Totally forgot that I actually drew [the boy.](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/595128882689081344/697003854511734824/purple_Keef.png) Tis but a doodle. Still, it should help you visualize him? Maybe???
> 
> Can you tell I don't actually know what I'm doing?

Keith had tried to fight them when they went to wash the make up off his face. He didn't want them to take it off. It was the last thing his dad did for him. But he couldn't stop them.

Once they got a little bit off and saw the first hints of purple on his skin, he could see them start to panic and let them remove it. They only calmed down a bit when they saw he wasn't covering up a bruise.

It didn't matter though. Not to him.

They took him home to pack some of his things. He didn't pack much though. Some clothes, his knife, Humphrey his hippo and his toothbrush. He considered packing the concealer, but ended up deciding against it. It just didn't feel the same without his dad.

He didn't know where he was going, only that it was probably going to be with strangers since he had no family.

* * *

The first home wasn't great, but it wasn't awful. The adults were an older couple, who's children had all grown up. Keith didn't mind them. It was the other kids he didn't like. Two of them just didn't acknowledge him most of the time, being teenagers, and one of them teased him relentlessly for his freckles.

He only lasted two weeks there. They sent him away after he got in a fight with the other boy.

The next house was one of the worst. The parents were very religious and they didn't care for how purple he was.

His worst memory of that home was when they realized there was dye in his hair. The father had dragged him to the sink and scrubbed his head for hours trying to see the real color. Keith hadn't meant to hiss at him, he didn't even remember biting him. But he ended up with blood on his lips, hair dripping wet and everyone screaming.

He expected the screaming to come with rejection. He didn't expect them to call him the Antichrist and hurt him. He hated them for it.

It was a good day when he was taken from them.

Every family he was sent to after that, he went in expecting rejection. So he rejected them first. He felt like it was no different from his mother, who'd left before he was old enough to have memories of her. She hadn't even left anything behind.

The only person in his life that never rejected him was dead, and all he had to remember him was a knife.

* * *

James Griffin was someone Keith wished he'd never met. Sure, part of the problem was Keith's immediate rejection of him when he first came to the home, but James never made the effort to make things better.

The other kids may have talked about his hair, or his ears, or his lengthy nail care behind his back, but James said it all to his face. If he didn't outright ignore his existence.

He was constantly being compared to him, despite the obvious differences between them. James was the top student in all of his classes, and he was friendly to everyone besides Keith. Keith himself was the loner, the daydreamer. He was the one that couldn't focus on his homework for a second, or start on a new task the moment it was given to him. Everyone loved James.

No one liked Keith. Nothing made that more obvious than October 23rd.

Keith had been staring out of the window as usual, picturing what he thought to be the most interesting story he'd ever thought up. He was a ninja assassin, sneaking aboard a ship ready to fly to a distant planet and kill the emperor. It was dramatic and cheesy, but the story was way more interesting than class was. Though he hadn't realized class was over and everyone was getting out their lunches.

It wasn't till a napkin and cupcake were carelessly dropped on his desk that he even realized something was going on. He looked up at James's scowling face and tilted his head in confusion.

"Look, I know we don't get along, at all, but I'm not a complete jerk like you." The boy huffed. He would have probably crossed his arms too if he wasn't still holding a container of cupcakes.

Keith frowned and rolled his eyes before glancing at the bright, colorful frosting. Under the frosting was a dark cake that he already knew would make him sick. "Gee, _thanks,_ but-"

" _Thanks?_ That's all I get? _Thanks?_ This is why no one wants to be your friend. Do you even know _why_ you're getting one of the cupcakes _I_ spent all night making?"

"Well I-"

The argument was cut off by the instructor clapping her hands. "Keith, James, please come up to the front of the class."

James glared at Keith as he got up. "Thanks for getting me in trouble." He hissed.

"We don't know if we're actually in trouble."

"You're involved," he scoffed, "of course we're in trouble." Keith wanted to protest. Or punch him. They were similar feelings. Instead he glared at him as they reached the front of the class.

The teacher had them face the class, then everyone sang happy birthday. At least half of the class forgot to add Keith's name altogether and the rest were so thrown off by it that they stumbled through the rest of the song. Keith spared them his glare by turning his eyes to his shoes. They were old and beat to hell. There was a tear in the side of his right shoe where someone had thrown it in a tree the previous week.

The floorboard next to his foot was a lighter color. It was hard to notice if you weren't looking but now he was staring at it. Why was it lighter? How had suck a mistake been made?

The instructor was talking, so he looked at her. It was decidedly unimportant so he just waited for her to let them sit down. He _wanted_ to sit down. Actually, he wanted a lot of things. He wanted everyone to stop staring at him. He wanted to be home. _He wanted his dad back._

His wants didn't matter.

Then she let them go sit down. He'd already forgotten what she'd said by the time he reached his seat. Though the moment he sat down he remembered the cupcake he'd been given.

He wasn't surprised to see that it was already gone. He wasn't gonna eat it anyway, so _what did he care?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this chapter is actually not great but
> 
> Shiro next chapter.


	3. "I see potential in you."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm actually reading Jughead rn so I'm not as focused as I was before, but I'm def in the mood to write more now so here we go.
> 
> I take so long to actually write chapters sometimes so sorry that I don't have an update schedule.

It was supposed to be just another terrible day. That's what Keith expected. Who cares if they're supposed to have a special guest, right?

But it wasn't.

If he hadn't been lost in his own head, he could have told the second he looked out the window. Except he was lost in his head, in a daring adventure with guns, a corrupt government, witches and ~~cute~~ guys begging for his help.

He was imagining a particularly thankful blonde when the entire scenario was shattered by "that kid has purple hair."

He scowled and turned to glare at the person, spouting off "gee I hadn't noticed-" his mind blanked upon seeing the somewhat built Asian man standing at the front of the class. His black hair wasn't Keith's favorite, but the short undercut with a floof of hair at the front really suited the guy.

He huffed and went back to looking out the window. Was the guy cute? Sure, but it was just a look and Keith could ignore it.

"Ah, sorry about that. It was just a bit... Shocking." The guy said apologetically, but he wasn't getting anything from Keith. He was just like everyone else. He saw the hair and the freckles and the claws (he'd long since stopped calling them nails after he'd accidentally scratched a classmate and himself during a fight) and he saw a freak.

"This is Takashi Shirogane, the youngest pilot ever to lead a mission into space." There was clapping all around.

"Thanks for having me."

Keith couldn't care less. He was back in his own little world. This time he was fighting with a laser sword on a giant ship in space orbiting over a gas giant. Why? He didn't know. It was more interesting than hearing this guy talk about the garrison. In fact, it was more interesting than the crappy life he was already living. At least he had a sword in the daydream.

Someone tapped his shoulder and he looked up. "Wow- you- uh... Anyway," that Takashi guy was talking to him. Or trying to.

_Annoying,_ Keith thought passively as he glanced around. The last of the students were trickling out of the room so he figured he should follow them. He started to get up but the guy stopped him.

"Just, hear me out." He glared at the man. "I'm sorry. The hair was a but of a shock. I didn't mean to upset you or call you out. Okay, kid?"

At least he seemed genuine. Keith rolled his eyes and shoved past him. Sure, the apology was a new thing, but it was probably just an act. A way to make himself and the garrison look better.

He followed everyone to the yard and looked at the large object brought by the garrison guy. Takashi went up to the front of the group to explain what it was. Ultimately not an explanation Keith bothered to pay attention to, mostly due to the buzzing in his head. He was itching to get closer to it. To see the controls. But he was at the back of the group.

Always last.

But this time it didn't matter who went last or first. _You will crush them all,_ a voice in his head purred, _you will show them how a real paladin flies._

The voice threw him off enough to make him glance around as the first kid failed to reach the second checkpoint. He could hear James comforting them, but he was distracted.

After a moment, his mind wandered back to the simulator, studying it. Watching for obvious mistakes. It was like there was fire running through his veins. He needed to try it. But he had to wait his turn, and he didn't do well with waiting. So he went to draw in the dirt. Well, plan to be more accurate. He'd already picked up on the most common mistake based on James' run. If he could just account for that then maybe...

"Well, we've had a lot of good tries, but no one's made it past the third level yet.," the Takashi guy said, "looks like you're the only one left."

Keith blinked and looked up. It really was down to just him. The guy was smiling at him too for some reason. "Think you got what it takes?"

_Of course you do. Show them your real skill._

His feet took him right to the chair and he grasped the controls. It all felt so natural. Unlike all the homes he'd been to. All the places he'd stayed. All the families he'd been with. It felt like exactly where he was supposed to be.

There were gasps and awes. Someone called him emo. He didn't care. He was in complete control. Before he knew it he was past level 1. Then 2. Then 4. When 5 went by, James popped up next to him and broke his concentration. "Now way! Keith made it past level 5?! Thing's gotta be broken... Or he's cheating somehow..."

He rolled his eyes. It didn't matter what James thought. Keith was in his element.

"Is this guy on it? It looks like he's ready to fly the real thing." His ears perked. What had he missed while he was running through the simulator?

"Keith? He's a bit of a disciplinary case." He tuned out the rest. What did she know about him anyway.

_Screw this. Screw them. It's time to get out of here._ His mind growled. He set the controls to fly through a relatively clear path and got up. Weaving through the crowd easily, he got into the guy's car. The idiot really left his keys in it. It was like he was asking for some orphan to steal it and drive off into the sunset never to be seen again.

So that's just what keith did. Even though he knew next to nothing about cars he drove off with it.

In the end, it was his speeding that got him caught. But it was the first show of human compassion since his father died that kept him out of any serious trouble. And he had one Takashi Shirogane to thank for that.

* * *

He had his knife with him as he waited where Takashi had asked him to meet him. Whether things went well or not, he wasn't going back to the home. Not after he'd gotten in another fight with James.

They'd finally found the chink in his armor. His parents. There was no way he was going back to that.

That was why he'd even gone to the place.

If he didn't like what Takashi had to say, then he could at least disappear. Still, he had to wait for the guy to actually show up. He sat on a bench in the lobby and waited. The receptionist kept glancing his way as he let his mind wander.

What would it be like if he was a pilot? How would that make his life better? How could it make things worse? He could think of a lot of questions, but the thought of James apologizing was delicious, and the image of himself surrounded by adoring fans (so what if most of them were boys) was tempting. But was it attainable?

"You think a lot, don't you?"

Keith may have shrieked when he flew off the bench. Takashi chuckled lightly and rose from his spot. "Did I startle you?"

"N-no!" Keith's cheeks were burning. He wanted to punch something. "Why did you want me to meet you here anyway, Mr Shirogane?"

Takashi winced. "You can just call me Shiro."

"Oh... Alright. Shiro."

That felt better to Keith actually. Shiro looked more comfortable with it too. "Walk with me."

Shiro was quiet as they walked out to the airfield. Old shuttles and jets were in their hangers, Keith even recognized a few from his late night readings. Two secret interests of his: bladed weapons and aircrafts. If anyone found out he didn't know what he'd do.

"Is that the Calypso?"

"Yup," Shiro smiled, "first ship to fly astronauts to the moons of Jupiter. Reading about that mission made me want to be a pilot. Those astronauts braved the uknown and showed just how much we can accomplish if we put in the time and effort."

Keith had a feeling he knew where this was going. "I want to help you, Keith. You've got a lot of potential."

It was inspiring. It was hopeful. It was... Totally out of his reach. Keith frowned. "You're wrong about me. I'm just some freak with purple hair. Nobody would want me to be theur pilot, no matter how good I am."

Shiro looked sad, but Keith wasn't done. "And even if the garrison did decide I was good enought, the public wouldn't want me to be a symbol for the future. Their stupid beliefs-"

He shuddered. Humans were the absolute worst sometimes. But Shiro was looking so sad, reaching out to comfort Keith. Maybe they weren't all bad. "I'd want you to be my pilot. You're a natural and it shouldn't matter if you have purple hair or blue skin or whatever. Besides, purple isn't a bad color for you." He was giving such a gentle smile. "Maybe you'll even start a new trend of purple hair. I kind of want to try it myself. How do you think that'd look? Me with violet on the bottom and eggplant on top? I think I could pull it off, don't you say?"

It was ridiculous. And Shiro was smiling as he put his finger under his chin and winked at the sky, hand on his hip.

"You'd look stupid."

He pulled out the look of a kicked puppy. "You wound me, Keith. I've been wounded." Keith rolled his eyes. This man was ridiculous. A part of him loved it, but... This guy would leave too, eventually.

"Hey, Keith? Can I ask you something?"

"You just did." He deadpanned.

Shiro blinked at him and shook his head. "You and Adam, I swear," he mumbled, "I _mean_ can I ask you a serious, personal question?"

_No._ "Shoot."

"Why were you in that home? Were your parents...?" Shiro looked genuinely concerned. Keith looked at his feet. Lots of the kids had been taken from their homes for abuse or drugs. Most of them didn't like talking about it, which was why it took so long for people to find out how sensitive he was to the topic.

"My dad died." _Don't ask about my mom. I don't want to think about her. She doesn't deserve that after what she did to us. Just drop it. Leave it at the dead dad._

"I'm sorry. I can't imagine that was easy."

Keith huffed. His eyes turned to the darkening sky. Nothing in life was easy. He didn't want to talk about this anymore. He'd rather be reading (or trying to) or daydreaming of flying through space.

But Shiro had planted a seed. One that his mind decided was better to focus on than what just happened. _A sea of people, hair dyed various shades of purple. Kids with purple face paint to resemble his freckles. And him, in that suit, standing tall and proud. Important. **Wanted.**_

"Do you _really_ think I have what it takes?" He glanced hesitantly at Shiro through his bangs.

After a moment, Shiro smiled softly at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter feels a little weird at the end but... Publishing anyway.
> 
> Also, [I did another drawing.](http://fav.me/ddumajw) I have a thing about character design. I'm also trying to make the chapters a bit longer.


	4. Almost normal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro takes Keith to meet someone and help him relax. For the first time in his life, things almost feel normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Witing is hard

Adjusting to life at the garrison wasn't easy. Keith's roommate was loud and liked to watch shows while he tried to study, he was expectedto actually pay attention in class, and the drills in the flight simulators was boring. Plus, he would get his entire class in trouble if he even stepped a toe out of line. This made him the least liked person in class and it was barely any different from the home.

The difference being Shiro.

Shiro believed in him. He wanted him to succeed, and the way he looked at Keith made him want to make the guy proud. That wasn't easy when he had to deal with so many new people judging him at first glance, and the instructors constantly pulling him out of class for medical exams.

He'd only been there for a month and he hated it. There wasn't really a lot to like either. The most he could think of would be Shiro helping him study. And he only had those times because Shiro caught him struggling to do his homework.

He didn't understand how everyone else could sit there and just do the work. He couldn't focus like they could. Literally everything was a distraction. The kid that kept humming to themself, the other one that was mumbling to himself in another language, even the cute Latino that sat next to him.

Then there was the problem with James.

He'd actually hit him after a drill. It wasn't his proudest moment, seeing as Shiro had witnessed it and he'd sliced his palm with his stupid claws. James hadn't even gotten out of it too badly either. The worst that had happened to him was he'd gotten bruised.

* * *

"This isn't working." Shiro sighed.

Keith felt his chest tighten for a moment. "What gave that away? The fact that it's been an hour and I've barely gotten anything done? Or that I still have 5 assignments I haven't even started?"

Shiro tapped his chin in thought. "Maybe a change of scenery will help. It's Friday, so I _could_ take you somewhere. And there is someone I'd like you to meet. Maybe he can help more than I have." He was starting to mumble.

Keith would be lying if he said he wasn't intrigued. In fact, it almost sounded fun. "Well... So long as I can take a break. I think my head will explode if I keep trying to study." Oh, that was a fun image. He started laughing. "Could you imagine-"

"I'd rather not." Shiro looked a little green at the thought. That just made Keith laugh more. Shiro rolled his eyes and patted his shoulder. "Come on. I need to get dinner before we get there, and you need to pack for the weekend."

It only took 20 minutes before they were heading into the city.

Keith felt so relaxed without the looming presence of the instructors around. They all acted like he was a lowlife. A criminal. Several times, he'd found that the only reason he didn't go off the rails was because Shiro believed he could do this. He wanted to make him proud.

"Keith." Shiro patted his arm.

"What?"

He didn't even look surprised that Keith was lost in thought. "What do you want to eat? We're having tacos but I wasn't sure if you had any diet restrictions."

"Oh." He thought about it. "Not really? I mean, I'm allergic to chocolate and I don't really like soda but..."

Shiro nodded and pulled up to the fast food place. "Why don't you just get the stuff to make it at home?"

"I...am banned from the stove. And it's my turn to do dinner. I don't really want to get tv dinners or something." Shiro's cheeks were red. Keith just shrugged it off and went back to looking out the window. His mind wandered and he yawned lightly. He barely acknowledged the bag being set in his lap before they were on the move again.

Shiro was saying something but Keith was getting gibberish. He blinked and looked at him. Shiro glanced his way. "You understood literally none of that."

"Sorry."

"It's alright. I was just saying that Adam can be kind of intimidating when you first meet him. And Matt is... Well, you'll see." He pulled the car into a parking space. "Do you want to carry the drinks or the food?"

He looked at the bag in his lap. The smell that came from it was absolutely mouthwatering. "Uh... The food." He decided, then followed Shiro out of the car. The bag was warm against his chest as he walked inside the building. What he found surprising was that Shiro's apartment was on the first floor.

The man got out his keys, balancing the drink carrier in one hand and got the door open. He ushered Keith inside and took his shoes off at the door. That was fine by Keith, so he took a moment to kick his own shoes off and follow him.

"I'm home. I brought tacos and a guest."

"Sweet, tacoes." A brunette laying on the couch said, without looking up from his device. Keith took one look at him and froze. The guy's face wasn't remarkable, light brown eyes framed by round glasses and messy hair, but his clothes... He'd apparently decided not to put on any pants, and his shirt was riding up from where he'd apparently slid down the couch to get more comfortable. And Keith didn't mind it too much.

"Matt! He said a guest too! Put on your fucking pants!" Another voice shouted. A pair of sweatpants smacked the side of the guy's head. "And don't you dare comment on my language, Takashi."

"I wasn't gonna." Keith turned to look at who Shiro was talking to. Another guy with glasses and brown hair, but he had caramel skin and green eyes. Unlike "Matt" he was actually dressed. Simple jeans and a loose t-shirt, but dressed. Maybe Keith didn't mind glasses too much. "I know I can't change you, Adam."

His voice was so soft. It drew Keith's attention to Shiro for a moment. The boy was caught off guard by how gentle his smile was, and the fondness in his eyes.

Matt got his pants on and took the bag from Keith's arms, earning a light hiss. That snapped Shiro out of his trance and he looked down at Keith.

"Whoa!" Matt drew back.

"Keith. We don't hiss at people." Keith tried to protest but was cut off. "Even if they earn it."

He huffed. "Fine... I'm sorry..." He bowed his head and looked away.

"That kid has Vulcan ears." Their attention snapped to Matt. "What? He does! Look at him! Cut his hair, make his freckles green and bam. Vulcan."

"Vulcan ears are more curved. And they don't have purple hair."

"Guys."

"Yeah, that's a fair point." Matt tapped his chin. "Plus, I guess they would be a bit... Pointier? And the eyebrows... Wait, why is the kid's hair purple?"

Keith was starting to feel uncomfortable. "Guys-" Shiro tried again.

"Oh my God, Matt. You can't just ask why someone has purple hair. That's like asking why Takashi is gay, or why my eyes are green."

"Guys-"

"But purple's not a natural color-"

"What's gay?" They stopped and looked at Keith. He huffed and rolled his eyes. "I'm not asking for government secrets or anything."

Shiro shook his head. "Right... Uh... We're just-"

"The school system has failed us. How could a kid not know what gay means?" Matt and Adam shook their heads, one of them muttering "a tragedy" to the other. Shiro shot a glare at them before turning back to Keith.

"It just means that I like guys." He clarified as Keith raised an eyebrow, "so like... I don't have any interest in women. In a... Would you guys-"

He had started to turn to Adam and Matt for help. The two were just grinning at him as he stumbled through an explanation, but he didn't need to. Keith got it. He nodded and they looked at him.

"Cool, same. Can we eat now? I'm hungry."

Shiro was at a loss for words. Matt looked impressed though. Adam just chuckled and took the drinks from Shiro. "Of course. Come sit down and tell me what Shiro got you to drink."

And that was it. Keith was like a part of the group without really trying. Sure, his age caused a bit of separation, but they tried to include him and help him. Matt helped him with his homework and Adam taught him how to cook and do other chores he needed to do himself. As for Shiro...

Keith thought that Shiro looked happier than he had when Keith agreed to join the garrison.

* * *

"Ready to head back?"

"Not really, but I have to." Keith said as he zipped up his bag. "Matt would have a fit if I didn't go back after he spent hours tutoring me." Shiro tried not to laugh at that. It didn't really work but Keith wouldn't tell Matt.

"Alright. Adam, we're heading out."

"See you later, babe." Adam said as they passed, pulling Shiro in for a quick kiss. Matt barely looked up from his video to shout "gay" at them. Keith rolled his eyes.

"Shiro, I have to be back before role call."

Shiro pulled away from his boyfriend and nodded, heading for the door. Keith waved to the others before following him. If he were being honest, he was gonna miss them. Matt was fun, and he helped way more than Shiro did when it came to science (he was a scientist though. Keith just wasn't good at that stuff, like Shiro.) And Adam didn't try to make things complicated.

Keith got in the car and glanced back at the building. "Hey, Shiro?"

"Hmm?"

"I... Can I visit again sometime?" That got a smile out of Shiro.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My plans for this chapter were very different. Sometimes we just have to let things write themselves.
> 
> What will the next chapter be? I don't know.
> 
> Also, how do people actually end chapters? Because I'm just  
> Head empty. No conclusions.


	5. Pilot Error

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith deals with life while Shiro is on Kerberos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is wonky but I wanna get further. You can probably tell. I'm just so ready to get to space.
> 
> Space!  
> But that's still a bit away.  
> Soon...

Keith was trying to study on his own. He wanted to be able to do it when Shiro left for his mission. It was hard to focus with everything going on though. With Adam and Shiro fighting, Matt busy getting ready for the mission and what he'd just found out recently, he was surprised he could focus in class.

Still, his grades were slipping. His simulator scores were the highest in the class, but that meant nothing if he failed all of his classes. He couldn't do that to Shiro.

So he studied. He still took hours to get through anything and he didn't understand science at all, but he was trying. Adam said that was what mattered. Keith wanted to believe him too, but he felt awful. The only person in his class with lower grades was some guy named Lance, and he apparently had declared Keith his rival. Keith barely knew the guy.

* * *

It didn't get easier after the Kerberos mission launched. It wasn't shocking, but Keith was mad at himself for being so worried. He knew Shiro was a good pilot, and he knew Matt had gone over the safety protocols for months. It didn't help.

One thing that helped was his increased access to the simulators. That and flying the hovercraft on the weekend. He'd gotten really good at both. After two years, he surpassed Shiro's scores in the simulator and he'd nearly mastered the hovercraft. Before he knew it, he was at the top of the list for fighter pilots.

He didn't bother to get closer to his technician or engineer. They'd taken one look at him and freaked out over his appearance. The two only associated with him while they were in the simulator, and Keith was fine with that. They worked well together with minimal input from him and they were the top of his class. Besides his grades, they were a perfect team.

Then that broke down when the technician pulled him aside after class one day. She asked him how he felt about movies (didn't really watch a lot, but he didn't hate them), mentioned a movie coming out soon and that she really wanted to see it but didn't want to go alone. Keith asked why she didn't ask their engineer and she said they had a date that night.

Apparently saying she could reschedule was not the response she was hoping for and she walked away looking upset.

"Keith, dude, I know you only care about the simulator," Lance had said when she left, "but you're allowed to think about girls too."

Keith had just stared at him in confusion until he walked away. It took a week before someone told him she'd been trying to ask him on a date. That made things awkward in the simulator. That only lasted a month before they got past it. Still, Keith was a lot more aware of how many girls would flirt with him. (And it was a lot. He didn't really get it until he met an exchange student named Samuel. His grades suffered so much after that.)

He'd gone to Adam for advice after that. "I just don't get it. All these girls look at me like I'm some greek god or something, when I'm just me."

"Maybe it's the hair," Adam shrugged, "it makes you look rebellious. Though they could think the freckles are cute."

"But they're purple..."

"Not the point." Adam rolled his eyes. He set a steaming cup of tea in front of him and offered milk and sugar. Keith took a bit of both before letting the tea cool. That gave Adam a moment to think. "It could be the fangs. A lot of girls are into the vampire fetish again."

Keith didn't really want to know.

Adam laughed at his reaction and sat down. He was quiet for a moment. "I wish I knew how to help you... Takashi would..." He mumbled. "The most I can suggest is maybe you could tell them you're gay, but if you aren't ready for that than it's not a good idea."

Keith raised a brow at him. "Why should they care if I'm gay though? All that should matter to them is that I'm not interested."

Adam chuckled and shook his head. He sighed, "teenagers are stupid. Actually, straight people in general. I've heard of women flirting with men, then getting offended when they find out he's gay and just didn't tell them to be polite. It's ridiculous."

"It's none of their business though."

Adam just shook his head and drank his tea.

* * *

Keith was seventeen when he heard about the incident on Kerberos. "Pilot error" they said. He wasn't sure he believed them. It didn't feel real. Shiro couldn't be gone. Adam had made him promise he'd come back. He _promised_ he'd be okay... _Just like his dad did when he explained his job to Keith._

He couldn't bring himself to try anymore. Leading to his first major slip up in years.

He crashed in the simulator and got into an argument with his team. Iverson stepped in and reprimanded him for over an hour. Then he said it. The last thing Keith ever wanted to hear.

"You don't want to be like Shirogane, messing up when it's most important."

Most people say they see red, but Keith... Keith saw yellow. That is to say, he saw everything with a yellow tinge and sharper than he had before. He barely registered punching the man. He saw Iverson stumble and fall, then it was over. Someone grabbed his arms and pulled him back before he could do anything else.

He knew it was over. The garrison wouldn't keep him after that. He was lucky he wasn't charged with assault. Adam had talked them down from that. Keith knew he only did it because of how close he and Shiro were. Whatever their relationship was had been falling apart, so he doubted that had any sway.

Still, he sat in the car with him, driving out to wherever he could go, a heavy silence hanging over their heads. Then Adam spoke. "You know... You're pretty terrifying when you're angry like that."

He didn't respond. He knew how scary he was. He knew that look people got. The old man that had scrubbed his head too hard... The good Christian girl who watched him bite her father... The kids he got into fights with.... And now, Adam. He never felt more ashamed.

"It was like your eyes..." Adam sighed and shook his head, "it doesn't matter. I got you a temporary place until you get a job and such. It's not a great place but it should do until you have your life sorted out." The car came to a stop. Keith looked out rather than meet Adam's eyes, which he could feel burning a hole in the back of his head.

The place they were in front of wasn't an apartment building though. "Why are we outside of a flower shop?"

"The one next to it, Keith."

"But that's..." A tattoo parlor. He didn't get it. He wasn't old enough for one yet, and Adam didn't really have a reason to bring him as far as he knew.

Finally, he turned to look at him. Adam searched his eyes for a long beat before shaking it off. "We're both getting something... To remember him..."

There was a flash of pain in his eyes as he looked away. He hadn't been able to say his name since the announcement. Keith suspected it was because he'd fall apart if he did. He would too if that little voice in his head wasn't there to tell him Shiro was alive.

It was always there, it just never spoke very loud, if at all. Like it was watching. Waiting for something.

In the end, Keith agreed to it, and they both got their tattoos. Adam's was the kanji for Shiro's name over his heart, and Keith ended up with a red paw print made to look like fire on his right shoulder blade. Then Adam took a step back to let Keith live his life. It was for the best really. Eventually he would have been too afraid of what he saw in his eyes.

Keith was scared too. After all, he did blind a man with a single punch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had you in the first half, didn't I?  
> Then again, that chapter title probably gave that ending away. Hmm... Oh well.


	6. A strange energy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith explores the desert.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me? Coping with my parents not accepting me being enby by writing fanfic? Yes.

The desert was beautiful at night, according to Keith at least. Maybe that was why he decided to move out there. He'd found a little shack and settled in. He didn't mind the drive either since he didn't have to pay for anything besides food. (He was probably breaking the law but he decided not to think about it too much.)

There was one thing that bugged him though. A buzzing in his head that wouldn't go away. He wanted to find the source, but he could only search on his days off and only for so long. And every time he did it felt like there was something pulling him out there. He was drawn to it like a moth to a flame. It made it hard to focus on work. Or anything else for that matter. He just _needed_ to know what it was.

If anyone asked, he'd describe it as a strange energy. There wasn't really another way to explain it. He definitely wasn't crazy either because it affected various instruments he used to try to find it. It even drove his compass wild leading to him getting lost for two hours in the desert heat.

The good thing about getting lost? He found a cave.

It could have passed for any old cave. He wouldn't have even considered it special if he didn't feel that odd tug. Something drawing him in. So he explored the cave. He didn't even have to go very far in to find the first carving. It was odd, a lion he guessed, but it also looked like a robot.

He took a picture of it.

Then he started looking for more. He found enough that he was afraid his phone would run out of room. In reality, the battery died. That one was on him though, since he was the one who kept forgetting to charge it. Still, he sort of got what it meant, he thought.

He knew there was a blue lion that descended from the heavens, so he assumed it was some sort of ancient god. Then there were a few events that weren't so clear, but that wasn't the most important part. The most important part was the last carving. An object falling from the sky.

He'd have to find out more.

* * *

His research had taken up a lot more of his time than he'd thought it would.

There were no matches to the carvings in any archeological database, and the weird energy didn't match anything he looked up either. He didn't have many other options, so he let the internet do his research. He posted some of the photos he took to a forum asking if anyone could tell him about the carvings.

Most responses were people asking where he'd seen them or if they were real. He ignored those, but no one really brought anything useful. There were some conspiracy theorists saying an alien came to Earth in a blue lion ship for some reason and it was all set up to wipe out the human race.

As if the war hadn't been bad enough.

There was one person that stood out among the others. They said that it looked like most of the carvings were historical events that had happened on a specific day years, even centuries apart. _And one event depicted could possibly be the Kerberos mission._ Granted they didn't think it was likely since the ony one that would make sense was one depicting what looked like a planet with a huge ship hovering over it.

Still, they'd started something. The theorists took it and ran.

Had it been about any other event, he would have ignored it, but this was about the Kerberos mission.

One theory was that the ship was the garrison ship and it was more artist interpretation. Another was that aliens had gone to the moon and kidnapped the mission crew, taking the three away for research and entertainment purposes. (Keith wasn't sure how he felt about that one.) And the last was that it was possibly a future Kerberos mission where they'd build that ship and take it out there to find the remains of the research. Everyone seemed to really like that one.

But he was no closer to getting any answers.

A few days later, his post had been taken down. The library computer he'd used to make the post was being monitored too, but he never used the same computer. He only knew it was being monitored because he saw someone watching everyone who got on it. Whatever he'd found was bigger than he thought.

It was starting to feel like he'd never get any answers. Like the answers were just out of reach and some yet unknown adversary was holding him back. He was so close to giving up hope...

Until that night, a year after the Kerberos mission was lost, a large object fell from the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, not a great chapter. Leave me be, I'll write a better one in a bit. I just needed to get through this last part before moving into stuff we know from canon.
> 
> Also, just wanna say, Keith being casually gay and thinking everyone knows is my jam and you best be expecting that to come up.


	7. The Blue Lion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After rescuing Shiro, everyone comes back to the shack. From there they talk about Voltron and answers start coming to them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally up to more familiar territory. Hopefully I get much further much faster now.

Keith was probably very lucky, he considered. To have found homemade bombs in his shack and know how to use them was one thing. To be able to set them up while the garrison was setting up around the crash only minutes away? That was tricky. To then sneak into the camp after they ran to investigate? Difficult.

To make it out on a hovercraft with more people than it was designed to carry while the garrison was hot on their tail? Well, most people would call that impossible. But Keith had done it. He made it all the way back to his shack with Shiro. _Shiro!_ He couldn't even describe the feelings he felt.

Sure, he had some tag alongs, but he would live. They were actually pretty helpful when they weren't being annoying.

Lance was saying something to him as he laid Shiro in his bed. He couldn't even process that what he'd heard was actually English rather than a garble of syllables.

"What?" Lance scoffed as he turned to look at him.

"I _said_ is this where you've been staying since you flunked out?" The other teen looked incredibly annoyed that he had to repeat himself. Keith, on the other hand, just raised a brow and nodded. Lance rolled his eyes and glanced around. There was the vague thought of what he'd say if he noticed the black stains on the floor. "What is this place anyway?"

Keith considered the question for a moment. "I think... It might be my childhood home?" He wasn't sure, but there were clothes that he vaguely recognized, a familiar smell and bottles of black hair dye in the bathroom that brought faint memories back.

"You think? How could you not know?" Lance looked skeptical.

"Well I was taken when I was 9 so..."

Lance winced and nodded, turning to his friends instead of continuing the conversation. Keith wasn't sure what that was about, but he shrugged it off. Shiro was back, and that was all that mattered.

"Uh, so, can we like, stay here? Until we have a better idea of what's going on at least. I mean, I wouldn't want to intrude, but you did kinda bring us here and you haven't told us to leave-" the big guy was rambling.

Keith stared at him for a beat. "Uh, sure you can stay."

"Thanks man."

"You're welcome..." He felt like he should know this guy. But who was he?

"Man, Keith, I totally misjudged you back at the garrison." He looked so relieved. "I thought you would beat me up if I so much as breathed in your general direction. Or if I said anything you didn't like you would, like, force me to eat my own gym socks or something."

"Seriously, how do you guys know this guy?" The little guy said. At least, he looked like a guy? He couldn't tell at all. Keith was so bad at that. But the guy looked a lot like Matt. Didn't Matt have a sibling? He must have mentioned them at some point.

"Who are you again?" He finally asked.

The little guy hesitated for a moment. "Come on man. It's me, Tsuyoshi! Though even back then everyone was calling me Hunk-"

"Oh, right." He remembered now. "You were the guy that threw up in the simulator." Hunk's face dropped. Lance patted his shoulder.

"He's always done that? Talk about motion sickness..." Keith raised a brow at the guy. "Oh! Right... I'm Pidge."

He nodded. "Alright. Pidge, you can take the couch-"

"Why does he get the couch?!"

Keith stared at Lance. He was starting to remember him. More specifically, how annoying he was. "You know what, you guys figure it out. I'll find somewhere else to sleep."

And he did just that while they argued. He was tired anyway since he'd apparently forgotten to sleep in two days. He faintly wondered how he was able to focus on anything before passing out on the floor.

* * *

At some point, Keith somewhat registered being picked up and moved. "G'night dad," he slurred to himself, not really thinking about it.

Then he was set on something much softer and warmer than the floor. There was another source of warmth and someone petting his head. So, he sighed contentedly and felt a rumble in his chest as he pulled the smaller source of warmth closer.

He didn't mind the smell too much. It was like a garage and stale pizza, but there was also something vaguely fruity? He dozed off again as a blanket was draped over him.

When he woke he saw that the "warmth" he'd grabbed was Pidge, who had drooled all over his arm. He frowned in disgust and untangled himself from the gremlin before looking around. He was in his bed and he couldn't find Shiro. That must have been who moved him.

He got up and shook his boots out before slipping them on. Then he stepped outside to speak with his brother. (He wasn't sure when he started call him his brother, but that's what he saw him as.)

They only spoke for a few minutes before they were back inside exchanging information. Then, in just a few hours they were walking through the desert, looking for an element that wasn't native to Earth. Personally, he didn't understand any of it. Maybe that was why he was so okay with Hunk leading the way. Even if he knew exactly where they were going. He'd been out there so many times.

The cave was like it had been every other time he'd seen it. The only difference was the people he was with.

Until every carving began to emit a blue light. He voiced how that had never happened before when the floor fell apart beneath them. They slid down the tunnel below and splashed into a small pool of water. That was where it was. The blue lion.

The buzzing in his head was so loud, yet so calm. The pull he had been feeling for months only got stronger. He couldn't really stop himself.

He walked right up to the force field and touched it. It was cool and smooth, like ice with a thin layer of water over it. He wanted to get in. He wanted to get closer, but it wasn't him that took down the force field. It was Lance. The change had been so immediate that Keith could barely take it in. Images flashed itn his head and it felt like a fire was lit inside him.

Then it was gone. The force field dissolved and the robot moved to let them in.

Everything that happened in the next few minutes was a blurr. They were in the ship, the lion and they were flying out of the cave. Then they were attacking an alien ship and drawing them away from Earth. When they reached Kerberos, there was a stabbing pain at the back of his head and he winced. Then it changed into the buzzing. He could work with the buzzing.

The pull that still hadn't really left his chest was urging him to pass through the wormhole before them, so he agreed with everyone.

They came out on the other side over a planet they didn't recognize in a sea of stars. There were no constellations he could pick out, and he'd gotten familiar with at least three. (Okay, so what if those three were the dippers and Orion? He still knew them!) The pull dulled into a gentle tug, as though whatever was pulling him in knew he needed to stop there first.

It had all but disappeared as they landed before the beautiful, yet strange castle on the nearby planet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, the ending isn't great, but I'm trying to pass over the similar scenes and focus on what changed. Hence a lot of focus on Keith's feelings.
> 
> Next chapter: Allura and the other lions.


	8. Gathering the lions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith thought meeting aliens would be...different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: finishes chapter 7  
> Me, immediately after: It is time to see my queen.
> 
> I'm having trouble writing. But that's a given. At least I know what's generally going on.

The castle was so quiet when they walked in. And dark. Keith had hoped whoever lived in the castle would be waiting for them with answers ready. Looking around though, it felt like no one had lived there for centuries. Longer even.

 _But the buzzing_... It was faint, but ever present. Given enough time, he could get used to it. That didn't make it any less disorienting. Pidge was saying something about expecting it to be bigger when the buzzing got a bit louder. The floor lit up like the carvings had. A voice spoke in a language none of them recognized and Shiro demanded answers.

But none came.

Instead, they were scanned and the lights came on. They followed the path, Keith's mind running a mile a minute yet not forming any actual thoughts, and let the castle lead them to some kind of control room.

Two pods rose out of the floor and they jumped. Faintly, Keith wondered if the other circles on the floor were similar pods when one of them hissed open. The girl fell out and Lance caught her, leading to a brief but entertaining moment of Lance getting shot down harshly. She seemed just as confused as Keith felt.

She introduced herself as princess Allura of Altea before moving to the console at the center of the room. The other pod hissed open and the man inside almost immediately jumped at Lance. Keith didn't really get what was happening, but he liked the sound of that word "quiznak" and their imagined fight was absolutely hilarious to picture.

He'd started considering cool music to play over the fight when the princess spoke again. The two aliens (were they really aliens though? Keith couldn't say that they weren't on Altea but...) had been asleep for ten-thousand deca-phobes. He wasn't sure what a deca-phobe was, but it sounded like a long time. Judging by the distress in her eyes and the shock on the man's face, it was.

Their entire solar system was gone, and the sadness in the princess' voice when she mentioned her father struck a chord. He could only begin to imagine how they felt.

What they had been through was enough motivation for Keith to fight "Zarkon", but hearing that Shiro had been that man's prisoner fuled the fire more than anything else had.

* * *

With the others gone to get the other lions, Keith had nothing to do except maybe help Coran fix the castle. But he didn't know how to do that, so he mostly observed the mice.

They were cute little pastel critters and he could picture them with cute little accessories, fighting cats and running the mouse revolution. Like that really old movie with the little mouse that got lost. What was it called again? He couldn't remember. It had been so long since a foster family had even let him watch movies.

He could see the bright orange of Coran's hair peeking into his vision and turned to look at him. "What?"

"You're a bit different from the others." He said, eyes trained on Keith's ears. That made Keith feel... _uncomfortable._ "Your ears are more like altean ears, but also... Not. You humans must have a lot more diversity in your species than alteans do. But nowhere near as much as the galra."

"What?"

"How common is purple hair on your planet? Or eyes for that matter? Also, why do you have markings on your face while the others don't-"

He cut off the blabbering old man when he noticed his lips didn't match his words. "Why aren't your lips matching your words?"

Coran blinked and glanced at Allura. "It's the universal translators, my boy. Do you not have those on your planet?"

He shook his head. "The closest we have is Google, I think." Coran looked confused at that. "What? Oh, you guys must not have Google. That would make sense." He wanted to slap himself. Of course they didn't have Google, that was an Earth company. He didn't even know if anyone outside of Earth had anything resembling internet for that matter. It'd be a shame if they didn't because how else was he supposed to read every article on Mothman or look up how to open a can without a can opener. (A knife. It wasn't easy and the edges were much sharper, but it was effective. Especially if he was using his dad's knife.)

Before either could say anything more, Allura grabbed their attention. "I've located the red lion! It's much closer than I thought..." She paused. "Coran... How far did you say that Galra ship was?"

"A few quintants. Why?"

"It's approaching Arus, fast. It will be here within the varga." She frowned deeply. Keith wasn't sure why she brought up the ship though. "The red lion is on board that ship."

Well that explained it.

"What?" Coran's eyes widened, "how did they find it? Not even Alfor knew where it was hidden."

Allura glared at the large screens at the front of the room. Whatever she was thinking about, it made her angry. Coran looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn't. Keith couldn't help but feel nervous as he waited for the others to return.

* * *

He wasn't surprised to learn that Pidge was Matt's sibling, but he still couldn't remember of Matt said he had a brother or a sister. Or what their name was.

It didn't matter though, since he had other things to worry about at the moment. For starters, he was running through an alien ship looking _for_ an alien ship. Then there was the probably foot soldiers walking around that would definitely kill him. Add on the constant ringing in his ears... And he was supposed to be trying to feel the lion's energy?

He could barely focus past how the weird bodysuit felt and the way it refused to let his claws poke through the fingers. That part was probably the hardest to get used to since it felt like the suit was trying to press his nails back into his fingers. He wasn't going to complain though, since the suit would be able to handle the vacuum of space.

There was also that symbol.

He kept coming back to it, and every time it felt like he'd seen it somewhere. That was impossible though... Right?

He was ready to start tearing down walls, but that would have been a stupid thing to do. _What would Shiro do?_ He asked himself. _What had he said before we seperated?_

 _Patience yields focus._ It was worth a try at least.

He took a deep breath and... The pull. The buzzing. The call. He knew exactly where to go. She was leading him to her. But who was she? He knew how she felt, (like a fire, ready to consume the world or give warmth and light to the weary) and what she sounded like, but who was she? The red lion? If so, how had she spoken to him from light years away? Was that something the lions could do? He'd have to ask Allura.

Still, he found the lion. He found _her._ He couldn't help but feel a bit relieved.

Then she didn't let him in. He pounded on the barrier, trying to get her to listen, but she remained still. He knew he couldn't force her, but it was frustrating. She'd called to him. She'd lead him out there.

But no matter how frustrated he was with her, he wouldn't let the galra keep her. So he protected her when the soldiers came. Later he would remember how it'd felt like she was watching him fight, and the surprise the sentries displayed when he opened the cargo bay doors. He chalked it up to just surprise that he would risk himself like that, that no galra would ever be so stupid as to open an airlock into open space just to deal with the enemy.

He really didn't know a lot about the people they were fighting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took forever writing this because I finally got acnh. I'm not sorry.


	9. Defenders of the Universe?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being part of a team is hard if you aren't used to being in a group.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw: panic attack in the first half of the chapter. Will put "(Don't Panic™)" before and after it.
> 
> Basically, Shiro has a panic attack in this chapter because I've felt on the verge of having one myself for the past three days and I'm trying to project the feelings away.  
> I'll let you know if it worked.
> 
> Ahjshsgdusjdhhsd- I hit post on accident again! I'll just end it now and continue in the next chapter.

Forming Voltron and taking out a Galra cruiser was exhilarating. Keith's heart had been soaring. He never felt closer to people in his life. It was...nice. He was a part of something important. He was doing good for the universe, which was more than he could do back on earth.

"Defender of the Universe" sounded nice. Shiro seemed to really like it. And he finally remembered Katie's name, but he wasn't gonna say anything. If he wanted people to call him Pidge and preferred male pronouns, he could handle that. It was probably best to ask first though.

He was just going to ask them when something made him pause. He knew Pidge was in the med bay, but he had a feeling. It wasn't something he could describe or explain, but it seemed important to listen to. Looking at the door, he knew it was Shiro's room. He knew the man had gone to bed a while ago, since he and Hunk had been hanging out talking about food until the other was too tired to think.

Reaching out, he went to knock. But he didn't. Instead he reached for the panel and opened the door, calling out for him softly.

(Don't Panic™)

The lights were on, which would be weird if Shiro was trying to sleep. Except Shiro was sitting on the floor holding his legs to his chest and rocking back and forth. His breathing was uneaven and he had a haunted look in his eyes.

"Shiro!" He rushed over and knelt before him. He reached out to touch him, but drew his hand back. He'd seen panic attacks before. He himself still had them if anyone touched his hair, which meant he was the one that had to cut it, and it was always a hack job that he just let grow out until he couldn't take it. "Shiro?"

His soft call was enough to get Shiro to glance at him. He would have asked if he was okay or if he needed anything, but Shiro silenced him by pulling him into a crushing hug. He took a moment before hugging back, rubbing small circles in his back. "Just breathe, Shiro," he whispered, "it's okay."

Shiro sobbed quietly for a few minutes. Keith just let it happen, waiting for the sign that Shiro was good enough to pull away. That sign came in a sniffle and a sigh. He let Shiro pull back and wipe his eyes, but before the man could saay anything, he pressed his forehead to his. Shiro took a moment before relaxing against Keith's forehead. They stayed like that for a precious few moments before Keith pulled back.

(Don't Panic™)

"Feeling better?"

"Yeah." Shiro smiled softly. He seemed genuine at least.

Keith searched his face for a moment, hesitant. "Do you want to talk about it?" And just like that, Shiro closed himself off. "I'm worried about you. You've been through so much and you're clearly not okay-"

"I don't want to talk about it, Keith."

They sat in silence for another beat before Keith gave his shoulder a light squeeze and stood up. "Get some sleep, okay? You need it."

He lingered for another moment before walking out of the room. Previous task forgotten, he went to his room and shut the door. He needed sleep. Probably more than he wanted to admit. Yet there was still something bugging him. Something itching at the back of his mind.

Absent mindedly, Keith hung up his jacket. He climbed into bed and pulled his blanket on, forgetting to take off his shoes again, and pulled the sheath off his belt. His knife, his _father's_ knife, was still tucked safely inside it, wrappings around the hilt coming loose. He pulled it out enough to get a better look at it. The symbol was glowing faintly through the cloth.

That was what was bugging him.

The symbol was in a similar style to the empire's. To Galra writing. It made him uneasy. What could it possibly mean?

He ended up so lost in thought, he didn't realize how much time passed until the alarm started blaring and Allura started screaming at them over the coms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It actually worked, surprisingly.
> 
> Also, because I have no self control, [I made another drawing of Keith.](https://66.media.tumblr.com/32e6797d5cc2dbe6de56f6b3811de5b0/d804c4f50151396f-d5/s1280x1920/e57577005c91f164e122d11377219da68a1f8921.pnj) The purple hair and freckles are hard to resist


	10. Learning to form Voltron

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some Assembly required except Keith is more distracted and Hunk is trying harder to befriend him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry that it focuses so heavily on Keith, but he's the only one I'm confident I can get right. I'm also not used to 3rd person limited but I'm trying. I'm not like Rick Riordan, putting out 1st person pov books left and right.
> 
> I wouldn't limit myself to fanfic if I was.

The whole "form Voltron" thing wasn't working. Even if his idea to build Voltron from the ground up was dumb, it was all Keith could think of. It worked better than Allura having the castle attack them. At least, it felt like it worked better.

Red was just as annoyed as he was with the princess. If everyone else had been annoyed as he was, maybe they would have formed Voltron just to stop the castle's assault. As it was, Hunk was just too scared and Pidge was wasting time trying to find a form Voltron switch.

The great thing about most of the team being teens was that they all agreed to return to the castle when the shooting stopped without saying anything.

Shiro didn't notice when they all broke off and went back inside. Keith could tell because he was talking about flying in formation again. He assumed, at least. He was too tired to process he was hearing English at that moment. (He really should have gotten some sleep like he told Shiro to, but his stupid brain said no.) The moment they were inside, he went to the lounge and sat down.

The others followed behind shortly after, as though they all shared one braincell. Maybe if Shiro had done the same they would have no trouble forming Voltron. He only barely thought of that while he drifted somewhere between sleep and wakefulness. He was faintly aware of Pidge stacking leaves Hunk had collected on his head. Why anyone would want to stack leaves on someone's head, he didn't know, but he had done stranger things. (Like try to balance a stack of blueberries on the tip of his nose. That was also how he found out he was allergic to said fruit.)

All the leaves fell to the floor as Keith turned his head to look at Allura and Coran as they entered the room. Pidge whined softly and started picking them up.

Allura gasped softly when she spotted them. It was gonna hurt to tell her the truth. "You did it!" Every second of it. "You formed Voltron!"

"No," her face fell, "the shooting stopped and the particle barrier shut down so we flew in."

Her eye twitched. He thought maybe she should calm down and have a space smoothie. "What?"

What would a space smoothie even look like? He started thinking more about that than whatever was going on around him. Would it be purple? Would it change colors as you drank? Would it be sparkly? And what would it taste like? Maybe he was a bit hungry.

Then he tuned back in to hear the words "training deck". That sounded fun.

* * *

It was not fun. It was very not fun. Between Lance being more concerned with their "rivalry" (which he really didn't want anything to do with) and his own tiredness, it was hard to really get what Coran wanted them to do. He probably would have been fine if Lance hadn't let him get shot in the ass. It still hurt.

So maybe he let Lance run into a few invisible walls, what was the harm?

Apparently the harm was that it made Lance more invested. Which lead to them crashing in the desert during their flight drill. Red seemed annoyed with him for it. He'd have to be extra nice when he went to clean her off.

Then they were meditating. Honestly, he didn't like having to focus on one thing like that, but it wasn't so bad if he focused on Red while some music he'd heard in passing played. That apparently didn't go over well.

"Alright, seriously, who's playing that old meme music?" Lance snapped. "It's annoying, and I know it's not Pidge because he's too busy thinking about his girlfriend!"

"I wasn't! Hunk was looking in my head hole!"

Keith did not tell them it was him, but Shiro was giving him an odd look, so he probably knew. Coran shouted at them to clear their minds and they tried again. The music was different this time, but it was infectious apparently. Lance and Hunk were adding the missing bits while also trying to focus on the lions.

Then Pidge broke again. He said it was because he was tired. Keith felt that on a spiritual level, despite knowing it was probably a lie. Shiro bought it though, saying they should take a break.

Coran said something about hydration packs while everyone shifted to more comfortable positions. Except Shiro, who seemed perfectly content to sit on the floor like the child he was. "You alright Keith? You've been pretty out of it all day."

Of course he noticed. "Just a bit tired."

"So you told me to get some sleep, then didn't?" Shiro smirked. Keith narrowed his eyes before lightly shoving Shiro.

"It's not like I meant to stay up all night. I just... I don't know." It wasn't something he could explain. Sometimes it was just like time skipped.

"I get it. You can't help it." What?

He blinked at Shiro. He would have asked him about it, but Coran finally walked in and started handing out little pouches. Lance and Hunk immediately called them "Capri Suns" and relaxed together. "Tastes like water though." Lance sounded disappointed.

Everyone else got theirs before he did. He just got it in his hands when Allura walked in and started yelling at them. So he ignored her. He was tired, thirsty, a little hungry, and he didn't care for her attitude. Sure, it was important that they bonded and were able to form Voltron, but he just couldn't be bothered. She'd done nothing but yell at them all day, making her no better than half the people that had been ~~forced~~ _entrusted to_ take care of him.

* * *

As it turned out, he should have been listening. Coran only gave them enough time to empty the pouches and get to their feet before telling them to get out their bayards and prepare for battle.

Keith had felt the hair on the back of his neck pickling as they waited for the gladiator to come at them. Things only got worse from there. Hunk nearly shot him which, okay, it was forgivable since Hunk didn't really know how to handle his weapon. But he didn't appreciate getting hit with Lance. And he'd only just recovered from that when he saw Shiro freeze up.

It was over just as quickly as it began. Allura was back to yelling at them, but this time Keith made it more clear he was ignoring her in favor of checking on his fellow paladins. Shiro first, obviously.

Shiro opted to calm himself first, so Keith went to Lance and offered him a hand. Lance had a strange expression on his face when he helped him to his feet though. It was almost ashamed, but there was something else there too. A real shame, since the expression didn't fit his face.

Then he went to Hunk and Pidge. Lance opted to check on Hunk, who seemed to still be out of it. Pidge, meanwhile, was pouting. "Being a paladin sucks."

Keith found himself agreeing.

The meal they found themselves at a few minutes later went much better than the training had. Even if it dissolved into a food fight rather than an actual dinner. Still, it got them working together well enough to form Voltron, so that made it all worth it.

He probably would have stayed up and cuddled with Hunk (the guy seemed the cuddly type) if Shiro didn't give him the "get your ass to bed" look. Plus, he was exhausted. Thus the day ended with him kicking off his boots and curling up under the covers, a feeling of accomplishment settled in his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can see where I physically could not handle this chapter anymore and decided to rush through it. That's on me for writing at 3 am.
> 
> I just really want to get to certain parts? Like the bonding moment™ and other miscellaneous events. For example: I had an idea for a scene in which Keith is just too gay to function. Not sure where or how to fit it in yet, but it is something I have planned.
> 
> Do I know what the next chapter will be? No. Will the gladiator be in it? Maybe towards the end? I don't know.

**Author's Note:**

> Something you specifically want me to write about? Leave it in the comments if you want me to get to it please. I might just write it out for you.


End file.
